Erigeron Stallone

13th July 2017

We were back to blue, cloudless skies, long sunny days, and soaring temperatures once again for my weekend photo
shoot around dad's garden this week.

There were lots of new flowers appearing, and although the bright sunshine didn't provide the best conditions
for macro photography, I managed to capture a few pleasing images.

I loved these very simple daisy like flowers that covered the Erigeron Stallone (Erigeron karvinskianus) plants.

Convolvulus - July 2017

Convolvulus (also known as Bindweed), can be an invasive species, and is the bane of many a gardener's
life, as its roots spread around the garden and strangle other plant growth. However, some species are cultivated for
their attractive flowers...

Convolvulus Tricolor - August 2012

...such as this Convolvulus tricolor species, taken in 2012...

Glorious Morning - August 2014

...or this Morning Glory named 'Heavenly Blue', taken in 2014. However, whether cultivated or invasive, I think the
flowers are rather attractive whichever the species.

Jasmine - July 2017

Back to the present day, and the Jasmine (Jasminum) bush was starting to fill up with these lovely small
white flowers that have a very attractive scent.

Beautiful Bract - July 2017

The Lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) bushes had also started to put on a wonderful display of
very colourful blooms and bracts, these blue / purple coloured ones being my favourite.

Summer Night - July 2017

The Dahlia Nuit D'Ete had finally made an appearance, after teasing us with buds for a couple of weeks. It
looked like there were plenty more blooms to come too.

Great Willowherb - July 2017

The Great Willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum) plants were looking rather striking in the back of the borders. I
know they are considered weeds, but they are colourful, attract lots of insects, and look rather good up against a hedge.
What more could you ask of a flower?

Evening Primrose - July 2017

Another plant that looks good in the back of a border is the Evening Primrose (Oenothera), whose large yellow
flowers open right up on an evening, and look quite spectacular! I must remember to photograph one for a later
article...

Ragwort Browsing - July 2017

There were quite a few Hoverflies (Syrphidae) buzzing around the garden, with the Ragwort (Senecio)
flowers being their favourite source of pollen by far.

Getting Stuck In - July 2017

Meanwhile, these little Bees (Apidae) preferred to get their pollen kick from the numerous Sweet Pea
(Lathyrus odoratus) blooms that had appeared during the week.

Under Wing Peacock - July 2017

The Butterfly Bushes (Buddleia) were doing their thing and attracting lots of butterflies. This Peacock Butterfly
(Aglais io) was certainly enjoying collecting pollen from them.

Apples - July 2017

As well as insect fare, there were signs of human fare just over the garden fence, with this Apple Tree looking
like it was going to have a bumper crop...

Pears - July 2017

...and this Pear Tree starting to produce plenty of fruit.

Soaring Swift - July 2017

Turning my camera lens skywards, the Swifts (Apus apus) were still out and about, catching plenty of insects
to take back to the nest.

Juvenile Starling - July 2017

The juvenile Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) were just beginning to get their adult plumage, and looked rather
strange with their half brown, half black, part spotted appearance.

Sentinel Sparrow - July 2017

Meanwhile, a solitary House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) looked on, wondering what all the fuss was about.

Bronze Cory - June 2017

Finally, here's a shot of another one of my fishy friends. This is a Bronze Corydoras (Corydoras aeneus)
catfish, of which I currently have a school of six. They're one of my all time favourite fish, and I kept them
throughout my first stint of fish keeping for over a decade, and even bred them successfully. However, I've
never noticed the green flecks in their armour coating before, which I can only put down to the flash bouncing
off them at a very specific angle.

So, this week I chose Erigeron Stallone as my Image of the Week, purely because of the flowers simplicity
and beauty, making it a really easy subject to work with...